Peace, Love, and Happiness

For these photos I picked the ten best from over this year, and couple are from past years. It is crazy to see how far I have grown as a photographer, but I am still getting better each and everyday. I think these really show who I am, and they are all greatly executed.

This is an awesome picture I took last year. I really like the beautiful colors and how the trees and other stuff around it is black because it really makes the lighting of the sky pop. This was behind Canfield, and I was really bored so I started taking pictures and now that I look back on it I am really glad I did.

This is another one of my favorite landscape photos. This was as the Salmon river and it is the most beautiful scenery and place I have been to. I love this picture because of the way that the mountains reflect down on the water and also the pretty blues and greens that stand out.

This picture is really fun and exciting. I look at it and instantly I think of summer and bright colors, and the bright sun. I think that this is the best picture I have taken of a flower and it really stands out to me.

This is my best friend Mariah Lynn. She was a great model when I needed her, and before Christmas break we were doing a photo shoot and this is my absolute favorite! I think she looks great, and it is a fun photograph.

I had done a final on animal photography and this was one of my favorites. I really like her eyes, and the lighting in this photo. Also I think it is a great angle that I got.

I used the rule of thirds for this photo. It adds more, and makes the eye capture it better. I think that the way I edited it makes it look much better as well.

I like this so much because of all the colors, and also because of the ducks in the background. Another thing that is cool about this photo is the yellow branches basically framing the ducks and making this photo more interesting.

This was a fun project! I think that this cover looks great and I love how Mariah’s features come out! Also for the theme I did it on Christmas! I love how the red and green colors really stand out and I learned to be creative with the fonts I decided to use to make the text look different. Another thing I like about this photo is how the candy cane makes this photo come together, and also how I did it in black and white.

This was taken on my 17th birthday! I really like this photo because it makes him look really interested, and it is a great photo of a dog. The colors with the water and the background really contrast together, and I think that this is a great photo of my dog!

Well one day we were in the studio and were just having a blast and Laura was doing some pretty cool moves and at first I was just watching and laughing and then realized I was supposed to take pictures, and I am really glad that I did because this is my favorite one and I think it is a really cool photo.

Portrait Photography!

For this project I wanted to take photos of my cousin Alyssa. She is a great model, and looked beautiful in these photos. I really wanted to take it on portraits because I am not that strong in that area and every year I have done my final on nature or animals so I just decided to change it up! I think that these turned out great and I accomplished a lot that I wanted to. I wish I had a little bit more time to edit these just to get them perfect, but they are great the way they are! I got my inspiration from Shane Young. I really got inspired by his work because I think that he took the time to get close to them and learned what their favorite hobby was, and then took a close-up of just them. I really like how his blogs kind of interpret to mine because I got really close with her and got some of her personal side and then also got some of her laughing. Also she is a country girl, loves horses and cowboys so the ones of her in the white dress and standing in the weeds is a great way that I connected with her and got personal.

I really love this!! She looks like a model in this photo! I think that the lighting, and the way she posed makes this photo really come together. I edited her eyes a little bit and also brought the lighting down some because it was a little bright.

This is another one of my favorites because she is laughing and having a great time! I cought her in the moment and that is what I was hoping for! I think the black and white is perfect for this photo because it shows her smile and features and nothing is taking over the photo.

This is another one I really like because it shows a fun and flirty side. I like how the wind is making her hair go everywhere, and her smile because that is what makes the photo stand out.

I really like this photo a lot because it shows great lighting, colors, and also her eyes are really pretty in this picture. She did have difficulty keeping her eyes open the whole time, but this is definately one of my favorites.

This is a really sweet photo. I like how she is posing, and the bleach byass I edited it with really makes this photo stand out! I really like the background in this photo with her outfit because it shows edgy and sweet at the same time.

This is probably my favorite photo because of the pose she did, and also because of the way the light hits her face and body. I think that she looks beautiful in this photo and can not believe how old she is getting. My baby cousin is growing up too fast! I changed the lighting a little bit to not have it so bright on her face and made her eyes sharper so you can see them in the distance.

I really like this photo because she is in a great pose, and the lighting with the black and white is perfect. She has a great smile and it shows in this picture!

I love this photo! I think that the way she is posing, along with the face just really brings it together. I changed up the lighting a little bit and made her eyes sharper so you could really notice them! She look beautiful.

I love this picture because She is just being herself. She looks beautiful, and it is a great close-up of her laughing and having a good time. The lighting in this is perfect, and I brought the contrat up a little bit to make her eyes, and the grass stand out more.

For this photo I just wanted to have fun with it. I wanted to edit it a little edgier because it fits her pose perfectly. Also I think that the lighting is good, but I wish her eyes didn’t look so dark in this photo so that you could see her big pretty blue eyes stand out more!

I think this was another interesting photo because of the lighting and the way that the angle is taken. I think that she looks very pretty in this photo and the lighting is perfect.

This is my large depth of field photo. I wanted to do something different and unique so I decided to have her run away from me and see how it looked. I was surprised that it actually turned out as cute as I thought it would and she thought I was a little crazy for making her do it! ha

Even though she is not looking at me I really like this photo of Alyssa. She looks so cute in this photo and it is funny! She was trying to pose and I told her to bend her arm so she through it all the way back and it popped so she was laughing histarically because she didn;t see why it did that! ha This photo turnes out great!

This is my motion photo. I really like how this turned out! I think that the way I edited it made it even better and made it more interesting to look at. She was holding the flash light and we were standing by the fire and there was extra light that is where the fog/smoke comes from.

This is my buisness photo, and I love it. She looks professional, clean, and the lighting is perfect. All I did to this was sharpen her eyes a little bit, and ajusted the levels on the lighitng so it was not so bright.

I like this photo because it shows how it can look comfortable, and it is a close-up of the print!

I love this picture! I think it shows my shirt really well and makes it look really good. I think the hardest part about my print was trying to figure out what my design was going to be! I had so much fun with this project!

For this assignment I took photos of my dogs and a couple of the scenery around me. I think this blog is one of my favorites just because my dogs love nature and water just as much as I do and this shows it a little bit. I think that all my pictures have great lighting and

I love this photo because he was looking at the water and rite after I took this picture he jumped over the log and into the stream! I think that the lighting and the log accent this very well.

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I really like this photo because they are both lined up perfectly! I think that the green trees in the background really accent the photo and make them stand out! I also like how Deek’s tongue is sticking out.

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I wanted to edit this in black and white because it was dark outside so the lighting was all weird. I really like this though. My mom has to bring his dog bed when we go camping so it was also for her to see how spoiled he is! ha

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This was at the bottom of the mountain and I really love it because it is so beautiful. I think that the green really stands out, and the lighting is perfect in this photo.

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I really like this photo because to me it accents the dogs well. Also it is older and younger and this photo shows the younger one kind of blurred out. It turned out great.

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This picture is my favorite. I love how the log that fell years and years ago has moss on it, and you can see the water and the green leaves as reflection. I think the reflection is really cool. And this is a really pretty and calming photo.

For this movie poster I wanted to take pictures of something different and something that has not been produced yet. I took it of my dad and my dog in our backyard, and had them all decked out in camouflage. I think that it turned out pretty good, but if I were to do this project again I would have done it a little differently. I think that the lighting and the words on the image stand out, and everything intertwines within itself.

This is all I can do for now until I come to school. I just want to show you that I have proof of turning it in!

Rashell Shaffer
Period 2
PHOTOGRAPHY EXTRA CREDIT

1. Is Photography an art?

This has been a question that people have been asking for a very long time. To me my first instinct would be yes! Photography is an art because it takes creativity to be an excellent photographer. I think that with being a photographer the reason it is an art to me is because of the time, places, backgrounds, lighting, and just creativity it takes to capture a great photo. The timing is everything because if you are a true photographer you get the best photos at the most unexpected times! I think that when being around life and things that happen everyday there are things that happen every minute and when you have a camera on hand all the time that is when you get those amazing and shocking photos. With places it is like the same thing because being at the rite place at the rite time is key! Backgrounds are also really key because when getting the perfect photo if you have a person rite behind you with a bright red coat on it takes away from your photograph. So all in all I think it takes major creativity and art is about being creative. Also some of the most famous photos are just like some of the famous paintings.

2. What components create a successful photograph?

Components that create a successful photographer are to define the subjects they would like to shoot and research the income earning potential of these subjects. Also extending to client relations, marketing, prepping, and shooting. Successful photos are basically order, and the main elements that bring and emphasize order photo are lines, shapes, forms, textures, patterns, and color. Every photograph contains one or more of these elements, which are the elements of design. Much of the affect depends on different visual components, and is from the person’s memories and life experiences that are seen by their personal mind type. Six elements of design are line, shape, form, texture, pattern, and color. Line is the strongest and most important because without line there would be no lead to the viewer’s eyes. Shape is the principal element of identification and is the most important thing to the mind. Side lighting and the understanding of its meaning and shape best accentuate form. Texture is mainly based on light. Pattern is a great thing to use because patterns are used in everyday life. http://photo.tutsplus.com/tutorials/photography-fundamentals/6-elements-of-design-for-striking-photographs/

3. What are the benefits of digital photography?

The benefits of digital photography are that you get more creative control, instant and easy photo sharing, more interesting presentations (multimedia films, slide shows) and can burn them to a CD or DVD. Also more useful databases and household records, and more creative fun with editing programs like Photoshop or light room. Digital photography has become easier and more affordable during the last couple of years. The most expensive part is the camera itself. Five really great things about digital photography are that it is cost effective, instant previews, easy to share, easy to experiment, and also environmentally friendly. It is most cost effective because it uses no film. Because it does not use film it stores your images on a memory card, and the memory card is really nice because you can reuse it as much as you want to. Instant previews is another reason that it is better because once you take the photo you can instantly preview it using the preview screen of your camera. I think without the preview screen I would be lost because I know I look at it every time after I take a photo. Easy to share is another one because with having the memory card you can instantly upload them, edit whatever you need to, and the send them to your website, e-mail, or even store them on CDs and DVDs. They are Easy to experiment with especially for people just starting out with photography. Not only can you preview your photos immediately after taking them, but you can easily delete the shots that did not work out. Lastly environmentally friendly, because since digital photos can be processed digitally there is no need to use harmful chemicals that need to be disposed of.

4. Why would an artist use digital camera over film?

An artist would use a digital camera over film because film takes much more work, but extremely skilled photographers can get better results on film if they can complete the many more steps from shot to print all perfectly. A lot of the time though, they want to make things quick and easy. With digital film you can process them all you want and give the images the certain look that you want. The great things to having a digital camera over film are no expensive film that you have to buy and than develop. You can preview your pictures instantly and can see if you need to get closer, further, and maybe something is sticking out in the background and you have to get a different angle. Also with previewing your photos you come upon one that you do not like so much you can delete it rite than and make more space. You can upload pictures you have taken instantly to your computer for viewing them. When doing that it gives you a variety so that you know even better than before what ones turned out better than others and also what ones you do not want to be seen at all. Also with that you can manipulate and fix pictures using Photoshop, light room, and photo software that have to be installed on your computer. Also that makes it better so that you do not have to go to a store, photo lab, or even consult a professional. Higher resolution on some cameras is also a really great thing because it allows for higher quality images. And the ability to print pictures from your computer with no need to visit a lab for printing or development is a much-needed thing when running your own business.

5. How do photographers use their camera to enhance the image?

People think they’ll improve their photography by buying a spiffy new camera. In photography the technique is much more important than equipment. And taking good pictures is something anyone can do with any camera, if you practice enough and avoid some common mistakes. Photographers use their camera to enhance the image by many things. One is by knowing how to turn the flash on, off, and auto, how to zoom in and out, and how to use the shutter button. Two is by setting the camera’s resolution to take high quality photos at the highest resolution possible. Low-resolution images are more difficult to digitally alter later on; it also means that you can’t crop as enthusiastically as you could with a higher-resolution version and still end up with printable stuff. Three is by using your camera manually. There is a lot more to control that way and when you use it manually you can control weather it is in focus or sharp enough for the image. It really gives you the opportunity to take control of your camera and vision. Four is by taking your camera everywhere. When you have your camera with you all the time, you will start to see the world differently; you will look for and find opportunities to take great photographs. And, of course, you will end up taking more photographs; and the more you take, the better a photographer you will become. Five is by getting outside. Motivate yourself to get out and take photographs in natural light. Take several normal ‘point and shoot’ pictures to get a feel for the lighting at different times of the day and night. Go outside at all times of day!

6. How do the elements and principles improve a photograph?

The elements and principles improve a photograph by having creativity. For the elements photographers really improve when sing the seven elements of design. When seeing paintings or drawings weather good or bad, most will always contain the elements, which are line, shape, direction, size, texture, color, and value. Line marks the pen or brush or the edge created when two shapes meet. It really draws the creativity in especially with shapes! Shape is another great one because a positive shape in a painting automatically creates a negative shape. Direction is made from all lines such as horizontal, vertical, and oblique. Horizontal lines (direction) create calmness, stability, and tranquility. Vertical lines (direction) give a feeling of balance, formality, and awareness. Lastly oblique suggests movement and action. Size is the relationship of the area occupied by one shape to that of another. Texture is the quality of shape, which is rough, smooth, soft, and hard. It can be physical or visual. Color is a big part also because the rite colors in the photo makes it all come together. Value is the lightness or darkness of the color. As for Principles the major parts I focus on are the balance, repetition, and the contrast. There are much more things about the principles but these are my top 3. For balance I think that is really important because it is what makes the picture come together. A large shape close to the center can be balanced by a small shape close to the edge. A large light toned shape will be balanced by a small dark toned shape. Repetition is great when used rite. A lot of times you will see photos that look exactly the same, and the reason this is so good is because when taking photos that are a lot alike its nice to see a change in the image somehow. Lastly contrast and it should be at the center of interest. Too much contrast scattered throughout a photo can destroy unity and make a work difficult to look at.

7. How do photographers use their computers to organize photographs?

Photographers use computers to help their photographs by organization. There are a few main reasons why organization is so important; some of them are to find a central storage point, to wipe your memory cards, to clean up any stray images, and also to back it up all of your stuff. Finding your central storage point is very important because once you have your images stored all in one place, and you have organized them in a manner that makes more sense, back it all up so you do not have to do it again! Basically this just makes your life easier and less stressful when you cannot find something because it just “disappeared”. Wiping your memory cards is another really important thing because most people let their cards fill up, then once full, switch to another that’s lying around. Stop this immediately. Copy your photos from these cards into your central storage that way you have more room and you will get the best photos because it will not be so full. Lastly to clean up any stray images! This is important because it’s amazing the places images turn up. Perform a global search on your computer for files ending with .jpg, .tif, .png or any image file suffix you may use. If any turn up, move them into your central folder. This way you know where every photo is that you have uploaded, and you do not have to waste anymore time trying to find that one photo you spent hours on the day before, or even the one photo that is better than the rest.
8. How do photographers use technology to share their photographs?
Photographers use technology to share their photographs by usually printing them out when done. Today I know that most photographers do not like to just hand you a CD or something that has all the photos they edited on it. I know because for my senior pictures my mom asked if we could have one and they said they cannot do it because they were worried that when she went to print they would not look as nice, and also did not want me or my family to edit something different on the images. I think that if they put a signature on the photo than there is not much that anyone can do to edit it out to be able to change the photo. Also when parents are spending all that money they want their money’s worth, so they expect the pictures to be done already so there should be no reason as to why you would have to edit it even more than they already did. A major way though, that people do share photographs are from phones, and computers. Technologies getting so big today that it is used no matter what in everyday activities. I no that when I got my senior photos done the first time I saw it was on Facebook. It was nice to finally be able to see them and I was so excited, but if it was not for computers or phones I would have had to wait until he printed them out to be able to see them.

9. How does composition contribute to the success of a photograph?
Instead of looking at composition as a set of ‘rules’ to follow, I view it as a set of ingredients that can be taken out of the pantry at any point and used to make a great ‘meal’ (photograph). Composition contributes to the success of photography by five major elements. They are; pattern, symmetry, texture, depth of field, and lines. Pattern is a major part because emphasizing and highlighting these patterns can lead to striking shots, as can high lighting when patterns are broken. Symmetry is another important thing because a symmetrical shot with strong composition and a good point of interest can lead to a striking image, but without the strong point of interest it can be a little predictable. Texture is another one because it particularly comes into play when light hits objects at interesting angles. Depth of field, to me, is the most important because it can isolate a subject from its background and foreground (when using a shallow depth of field) or it can put the same subject in context by revealing its surroundings with a larger depth of field. Lines is also really important because They have the power to draw the eye to key focal points in a shot and to impact the ‘feel’ of an image greatly. Diagonal, horizontal, vertical, and converging lines all impact the images differently and should be shot to strengthen the image.

10. How does careful consideration to exposure improve a photograph?

Careful consideration to exposure improves a photograph because you never want a photograph that is over exposed. I no that from experience because I will take two photos and put them together when I am done editing to make sure the new and improved photo is well exposed and just to make sure that the lighting is not overpowering the picture. I think that when a photo is too exposed it makes it so that you can not see the stuff in the picture. I no that when I take photos I will make sure that the lighting is the most important thing because that is what makes the photo stand out. If you have a picture that is awesome but so bright that you cant see anything than you are going to like the other one better just because you can see things in the background.

11. Why is using photoshop controversial?

Using photo shop is controversial because it is used too much in a bad way. I think that the main reason it is bad is because when you are looking at professional photos not a lot of them are hardly edited. Most pictures are based off of photo shop. Weather putting a car in the background, making a girl look skinnier and beautiful, to even making anything in the background. I think that it is used too much for things that are not even photos. I liked it better when you took a photo changed the contrast, lighting, and sharpening on the photo and that was it. Now it is totally changing it to where soon you will not even have to take photos and can just do everything digitally. I think if it were not for copyright a lot of people would just take other photos and do what they want to them.

For this assignment I think that it was fun. For my project I did it on a mans life back it the old, old days. I think that this really turned out great and the mystery of this is why he is so sad and where is he going in his car. I think that the lighting of these turned out really awesome and pulls all these photos together. The funnest part of this assignment was going to my grandma and grandpa’s house and getting to dress up in some of their old things. I also liked how they were really excited about this and want to see the photos as soon as I am done! Me and my brother got to sit in their car and take photos and I got to drive it around the block because it was sitting in his garage all winter! This turned out to be a really fun project and I think I did a really great job. My inspiration was the Noir website because I just looked at that the whole time for ways for my brother to pose and also for how to get the lighting to make the photo look more extreme. I think it turned out great!!!

I like this photo a lot because it has a mystery to it. When I look at this I think about what is he looking at and where is he going. I think that with the old car and his outfit it brings this together. He was a great model and made this photo turn out great.

This is my other favorite because it shows the old effect really nicely. I like how the piano and cigarette and just the effect of everything in the photo adds to it. I think that it turned out really well.

I really like the angle of this photo. To me it adds more to it I like how the light from the flash adds a ring in the photo. Usually I would not like that and use a different photo but in this it fits the photo better.

This photo also turned out really well. He is not really smoking it! But we wanted it in the picture because it adds more to it. The mystery in this photo is why is he so upset I think that this is the best one just because it’s a close up and has a lot of interesting things.

This is a really great photo of him close up. I like this a lot because it has interesting qualities from the steering wheel to him looking forward. I think that it turned out great and the lighting of this photo is really awesome.

I think this assignment was interesting. I like how if you have a somewhat boring picture, but is taken well and you just need that one thing to make the photo much better the HDR is what that is for. It helped my images, and a lot of these would have been plain old images but because of that it made them pretty cool and sharp. My inspiration was from, and I likes it because it gave me a lot of information even though my pictures are not as good as his!

This photo turned out really well it took a couple times to make it this way because she had to stay extra still, but when we got it it turned out just like I thought. I think that when doing HDR on portraits it is harder because every little thing stands out in their skin, but I made the best out of it.

This picture turned out well because of the sharpness in the sign. I like it a lot.

I wanted to show this in black and white because even though it is a really simple photo the HDR makes it look a lot better than it really is. I like this photo a lot and it turned out well!

For this photo I like how the color really stands out, and how focused in on some of the moss and gew stuff. I like how close the photo is, and even though it was still really really cold outside the brightness from the sun makes it look really warm.

I like this photo a lot. Ithink If I just took this photo normally without the HDR it would of been really morning to look at. Since I used the HDR it makes it more interesting, but also makes the colors stand out more, and makes the fence look sharp.